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LittleBigPlanet (PS3)

Status: Stopped playing - Something better came along
I started playing this game on Tuesday 23 March, 2010  //  I stopped playing this game on: Wednesday 18 April, 2012
Current opinion of this game
No comment, yet.

April 21, 2011 11:05:51 PM
Having been unable to clear the level I mentioned in my last post, the game got shelved. I only got back to it when my son wanted to show it to some friends of his when they came over. For some reason I decided to take a look at the community levels...

Oh wow.

It's not that the levels are fantastic or unbelievable or amazing. Well, some are. For the most part they're pretty lame (in a game design perspective, NOT in the "I could have done better" sense..). However, and this is what's really knocked my socks of, for my son and his buddies, they're AMAZING. You would not believe the amount of laughing and giggling and overall fun they have when careening around the zaniest levels. Mostly, they seem to get a kick out of the unpredictable outcomes. Some levels consist of literally getting into a vehicle and riding it to the end. Pretty lame for me, but for them? It's the best thing ever.

Yes, I was aware that community levels could be good and all the rest, I never imagined they would be PREFERRED over the regular ones by a bunch of 8-year olds. Sad thing is, they're getting so much mileage out of the game that I have no reason or incentive to get the sequel.


July 5, 2010 08:25:35 PM
My son and I have been having a lot of difficulty clearing "The Bunker". We've tried playing online in case we're able to find some lucky soul who can help us clear it. So far, no luck. The worst part is that on the solitary occasion we've been able to find an online buddy to help us out...we failed. And then, our online buddy took us on a tour of the last two levels of the game. I guess he/she felt sorry for us and wanted to show us what we've missed out on so far.


Sigh.


May 11, 2010 02:15:00 PM
Spending an entire hour trying to clear ONE stage is grounds for excruciating frustration and much anger. Its strange to note then that I had this experience this past weekend but it was one of pure mirth ("Endurance Dojo" in "The Islands", if you're curious).

For a game that is all about fun and joy it seems oxymoronic that the difficulty level should spike so. In particular, I resent having to restart once the respawn point is exhausted. Couldn't it go back to an earlier one?

Anyways, mirth happened mostly due to the "almost made it" deaths that were, to be honest, quite flamboyant. I guess it helps to play it with a 7-year old too.


March 30, 2010 11:33:45 AM
I've been playing this on the weekends with my son. It's been a surprising experience on two fronts. Negatively, I've had a hard time adjusting to the controls and the overall "floatiness" I feel. This makes it hard to play the game as a platformer and I oftentimes find myself needlessly losing lives. Postively, it's been an enjoyable experience filled with (unexpected) comedic moments. My son and I spend some time arguing about where to go and what to do and our efforts at coordinating our gameplay have made it an interesting experience.

Something happened last weekend however that reinvigorates my trust in the goodness of people. I mistakenly started a level as "Play online" rather than "Play Alone" and we were surprised to discover a 3rd player had joined us. We'd just started the 3rd world ("Dia de los Muertos" theme) and had encountered some difficulties making progress. Our guest obviously knew what was going on and quickly caught on to the fact that we were noobs. What followed was a really engaging experience where we fumbled along and he helped us out, letting us know what to do and often leading by example and providing moral support.

I realize that we may have been lucky. But on the other hand, I think that THIS is what makes LBP so special. We were able to find an in-game coach who wasn't condescending, was patient, helpful and, most importantly, also seemed to be having a good time!


 
kudos for original design to Rodrigo Barria